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Bishop Richard F. Stika issued a statement this morning on the appointment of Bishop David P. Talley as the new bishop of the Diocese of Memphis. “Cardinal Justin Rigali and I offer our prayers and best wishes to Bishop Talley on his appointment by Pope Francis today as the Bishop of Memphis. I have known Bishop Talley for quite some time …

Bishop Richard F. Stika of the Diocese of Knoxville, Bishop J. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville, and Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of the Archdiocese of Louisville, who is currently serving as the apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Memphis, today issued this joint statement on the scheduled execution of David Earl Miller by the state of Tennessee: For …

A statement from Bishop Richard F. Stika following the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27: I want to express my deepest sense of sorrow for the shocking display of hatred and violence that took place in Pittsburgh on Saturday. The motivation to take precious and innocent life is difficult to understand. I pray for the many victims …

Bishop Richard F. Stika issued a pastoral letter to priests, pastors, deacons, religious communities, and the parishioners of the Diocese of Knoxville on Thursday. The letter addresses a report by the Pennsylvania attorney general on abuses that took place in that state and comes after two days of detailed reading of the report by the bishop. Carta pastoral de obispo …

Billy Ray Irick, 59, was executed at 7:48 p.m. local time on Thursday in Nashville for the brutal rape and murder of a 7-year-old girl in Knox Co., Tenn. in 1985. Irick had been on death row for more than 30 years. Following the execution by lethal injection, the Catholic bishops of Knoxville and Nashville issued a statement: We, as …

A statement from Bishop Richard F. Stika on Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, who recently resigned from the College of Cardinals following sexual abuse allegations: Like many of you, I have struggled in recent weeks with my personal reaction to reports that Archbishop Theodore McCarrick sexually abused individuals during his years as a priest and bishop. I also recognize the anger …

VATICAN CITY (by CINDY WOODEN- CNS) — Building on the development of Catholic Church teaching against capital punishment, Pope Francis has ordered a revision of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to assert “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” and to commit the church to working toward its …

Bishop Richard F. Stika has joined Tennessee’s two other Catholic bishops in urging Gov. Bill Haslam to stop the upcoming scheduled executions of at least three men in the state prison system. In a letter to Gov. Haslam, Bishop Stika, Bishop Martin D. Holley of Memphis, and Bishop J. Mark Spalding of Nashville have urged the governor “to use your …

Bishop Richard F. Stika is pleased to announce the following information regarding priest retirements and new pastoral assignments. These retirements and new pastoral assignments will be effective July 1, 2018: Msgr. Patrick Garrity is retiring from full-time priestly ministry. Msgr. Garrity will remain as Vicar for Priests, Chairman of the Clergy Materials Concern Committee and member of the Priest Benefit …

Bishop Richard F. Stika issued the following statement on receiving the news of the Rev. Billy Graham’s death on Wednesday in North Carolina at the age of 99: “I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Graham in 1999 during his visit to St. Louis as he was preparing for one of his famous crusades to be held there. I found him …

Bishop Richard F. Stika is offering his congratulations to the new Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Nashville, Father J. Mark Spalding. “I welcome Bishop-elect J. Mark Spalding to the state of Tennessee. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis has made an excellent choice to lead the Diocese of Nashville and I look forward to working with him …

Please join me in praying for the victims and the families of Sunday night’s horrendous shooting incident in Las Vegas. Like many of you, I have been watching the coverage of this inexplicable tragedy and I share some of the same feelings many of you are experiencing. Scripture tells us that we can overcome evil with good. I ask for …

Always an outspoken defender of religious freedom and the free expression of Christian beliefs, Bishop Richard F. Stika voiced his opposition Wednesday to the forced removal of a biblical passage that has been present inside the headquarters of the Knoxville Police Department since 1969. “Yet again, we have evidence of how our religious freedom is increasingly being eroded in our …

Pope Francis has designated Father William Gahagan, who has served in the Diocese of Knoxville since its inception in 1988, with the title of monsignor. The papal honor comes at the recommendation of Bishop Richard F. Stika who made the announcement at a meeting of diocesan priests on May 23. “A lot of the younger priests don’t know this, but …

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Bishop Stika’s March Prayer Intention:

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul HaringBy Rhina GuidosWASHINGTON (CNS) -- One of the founders of liberation theology in Latin America said he supports an effort to declare St. Oscar Romero a doctor of the Catholic Church. During a March 18 livestream of an event celebrating the Salvadoran saint canonized in October, Dominican Father Gustavo Gutierrez, considered by […]

IMAGE: CNS photo/Josh Estey, Care International via ReutersBy Bronwen DachsCAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- Two boys at a Catholic boarding school in Zimbabwe are among the more than 300 people killed in the aftermath of a cyclone that slammed into Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi in mid-March. Officials fear the death toll from the cyclone […]

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul HaringBy Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians have faith in a God who wants to and is able to transform the world, conquering evil with good, Pope Francis said. That is why "it makes sense to obey and abandon oneself" to God and his will, even during life's most difficult moments, the […]